reetings fellow Wedding Photographers. I am Esteban Gil, Wedding Photographer and Wedding Photography Educator based in Guilford, CT. I started photography as a sophomore in high school but became a professional wedding photographer in 2013.
My photography career start was a little out of the ordinary. Before even thinking about photography, I was fired from a management job at an automotive retailer that I could not stand anymore! A blessing in disguise, I suppose. I was encouraged to follow my passion for photography and went for it.
Upon starting my career in photography, I reached out to TEN of my favorite local photographers to see if I could help them in any way. I received ZERO responses…! Moving past frustration, I promised myself I would never be that guy when I got to the point to teach others.
At the time, I had never second shot or trained as a wedding photographer. To get started after I lost my job, I made an ad to shoot a free wedding and shot two weddings for FREE. I took those jobs very seriously and absolutely loved them. These weddings helped me populate my website, and the rest is history! I went from doing something I hated to something I am insanely obsessed with!
And… just in case you were wondering, I charge money for weddings now!
I am to the point in my photography career now that I can teach others. Thinking back to the time my favorite TEN didn’t respond, I now help other photographers without hesitation.
I got the idea to start my educational platform + Facebook Group, Steel and Flint Society. I wanted to ensure I gave beginners and seasoned photographers a platform to help each other out and lift each other up! I wanted a space where photographers felt encouraged and empowered versus ignored. We’re in this together.
Today, I’m giving you a preview of my post-wedding photography workflow to help empower you to find unique solutions to increase the efficiency in your wedding processing, helping you save time AND book more clients. Hopefully, it’s helpful! But if it’s not, tell me it is anyway.
Your style and my advice
Before we get into my post-wedding photography workflow, I wanted to say a few things.
First - Have you been called a Light and Airy photographer or a Dark and Moody photographer? Why can’t you be both? Don’t let anyone tell you that you can only shoot in one style to be successful.
Second - Stop interfering with moments. Let people struggle with tying a tie and bustling a wedding dress. Let moments happen. Stop trying to be a hero. These are perfect opportunities for you the photographer to capture real moments.
Ok. That’s all for now on advice. Let’s get into my workflow.
Before the end of the wedding day
My wedding workflow begins before my client’s wedding day ends. I’m a big proponent of a same-day edit! I cull and edit 50-150 images from the day, edit them, and then display them for my couple and guests before the wedding is over!
As soon as I get home, I upload the same-day edits to CloudSpot, my client gallery of choice, and I send the sneak peek gallery to my clients. My clients have access to their sneak peeks within a few hours of their wedding. My clients are blown away to see their moments right in front of them before they are even over. This also gives my clients the ability to share on social media the same day if they want to share. This has also encouraged my clients to brag to their friends, which has helped me book tons of future gigs via word-of-mouth!
I cull weddings in my sleep
Yes, you heard that right! After I send my same-day edits via CloudSpot, I import and backup images from the wedding day on hard drives. Do yourself a favor if you aren’t already - Please backup all of your wedding image work. Before I go to sleep, I start running images through AfterShoot, so by the time that I wake up the next day, the wedding has already been culled and categorized for me. 🤯 AfterShoot culls weddings FOR me, saving me so much time. It really has been an absolute lifesaving software for me.
Once images are culled by AfterShoot, I upload everything into Lightroom to process the gallery!
Grab 10% off your first AfterShoot purchase with my link here. Make sure to enter discount code ESTEBAN10 at checkout! Psst… I recommend grabbing the annual plan so you get 10% off a whole year! 🙌
Sending the final gallery
After my client images are culled in AfterShoot and edited in Lightroom, I use CloudSpot to send off my couples’ final gallery. I love how easy CloudSpot is to use for my couples. Before CloudSpot, I used other gallery services and would receive 3-4 emails for almost every gallery I sent with questions about image download. It was a time suck for me. With CloudSpot, my clients literally just push a button within their email and they have all of their images! It’s so seamless and foolproof!
Recently, I’ve been so excited to incorporate Save-the-Dates, Wedding Invitations, and Thank You Cards into my Storefront! This is SUCH a needed feature that I know my couples are going to love! 🙌
"Be motivated by the fear of being average." - Grant Cardon.
This quote has really pushed me to stand out and create my own path in my career, always striving to be innovative and different. If you look at my work, you will notice that I try my hardest to ensure it stands out from a visual standpoint!
To follow along with my work, you can find more of my wedding photography work on Instagram and on my website!
To learn more about upcoming workshops and educational opportunities through Steel and Flint Society, click here.
I also have a really awesome Facebook community linked here if you wanted to join us for wedding photography tips, inspiration, or just for fun. See you there.
Want to try CloudSpot for yourself? Start for free today.
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